Happy New Year's!!!!

Hola Familia,

Well this week has been amazing.  I am so glad to be back in the mission and to be a representative of Jesus Christ and serve the people here in Peru.  I have really learned to be better, to love people, be grateful for all the blessings that we have, and to realize the amazing lives that we have.

We were able to teach a ton of people this week.  Some of the best experiences that we had was teaching the Vega family.  They are a huge family and pretty much all of them are members.  So we were able to teach of the amazing lives that we have and all the many blessings we have. 

We found an old member that hasn’t been to church for a long time but he is awesome.  I want to help him have a Christ center life.  He had a ton of questions when we visited him but seems willing to make the needed changes in his life. 

Then we went and visited a less active family.  They are great.  We taught the plan of salvation.  I know that if we truly understand this plan then we would make the right decisions in our life and to be able to do the things that will give us eternal life.  This life is hard but is designed so we can be happy.  But how beautiful it is to be able to live one more day and learn new things.  This life never stops amazing me.  Enjoy it, and if your not enjoying it then doing something to change.  It all depends on us. 

I invite all of you guys to go and study the plan of salvation and see what you need to change in your life to be able to be happy and have a better life. 

New’s Years was epic haha.  The Peruvians know how to do fireworks for sure.  It is like the States times 20.  Literally the entire valley was doing fireworks haha.  It was great, I love starting a New Year and making new goals for everything.  I know that goals help us reach our full potential. 

Well family, have a great week.  Make goal if you have not yet.  I love you all so much.

Les amo,

Elder Cooley

Christmas

Hola Familia,

Well it has been a very interesting week. So as you know I had an emergency change last Tuesday.  So that was really unexpected but really cool.  So now I am with Elder Beales in Miguel Grau in Arequipa. In our Zone we have 16 missionaries; half sisters and half elders.  It will be awesome.

So this is a pretty hard area.  We have been working crazy hard to get more people to teach and to help people come to church and remember why they were baptized.  So on Christmas we went and ate breakfast as a Zone and then we went and Skyped (Love you family).  Then we had nothing ha ha.  And who wants to listen to missionaries on Christmas?  So we went to our room and literally I called EVERY single number in our phone, because we are both new in the area.  After calling people for that long we prayed and the second counselor of the Stake went with us and we found a ton of people to teach.  I know that the Lord guides us if we TRY.  We have to show our faith through our action.  Elder Wirthlin talk (Spanish Version)

Then we had the coolest experience on Saturday.  We went and visited the Barrio family.  They have been inactive for many years and we got in and started teaching them.  Wow, it was so powerful and amazing to see how the spirit can touch the hearts of the people and the boy came to church again after so many years.  It was such a cool experience.

Then we had an awesome lesson last night.  We gave the lesson to a return missionary that in inactive now.  We were teaching him and I was telling him about going home and all the things I learned, how important this gospel is and how amazing our lives can be if we live it.  So while I was telling a story I just started crying and he did as well.  I haven’t cried in a while.  But you could see that they realized the importance of family and how crucial the parents are to have the successful family that we all want.

Well this past week has been great.  I love the mission and know that God blesses us with all the things that we need, if we are faithful.

Family I love you so much and am so grateful for each one of you.  Take care and know that God loves us and blesses us so much.  Elder Uchtdorf talk (Spanish version)

I love you,

Elder Cooley

Merry Almost Christmas

Hola Familia,

Well this week was really good.  We were able to have a ton of great experiences and learn a lot.  Overall I am super excited to be here and to be working.  I will make this short because I do not have a lot of time. Yesterday we went to Chivay and it was way cool, but we were unable to see condors.  It was fun I will send pictures.  When we got back we had an awesome family home evening and then we got a call that I had a emergency change.  So as of today I am a Zone Leader again in Pacaurpata, with Elder Beales.  He is from West Valley.  So this will be fun two days before Christmas ha ha.  But I am stoked and ready to work.  So I did eat cuy last week, which was surprisingly delicious ha ha, but ya.

Well I am really excited to talk to all of you guys.

I love you all,

Elder Cooley